Playtime
by Raven Ehtar
Summary: Mello is out for the day and Matt is bored. While wandering through the orphanage he finds Near and gets an idea. Bad summary. Rated for one semi-bad word and a slightly disturbing RPG.
1. RPG

_**A/N:**__ Hello again, happy Death Note folks! I have returned – amazingly quickly – after finishing my last fic to bring you something a little different. No, this one was not on the list of fics I was working on, it's actually just a random idea that hit me while thinking over the different hobbies/addictions the Death Note characters have. For those who are waiting for the promised fics, don't worry, they'll be arriving soon(ish)._

_So, here you are. Random, and I think a little crack-y. (By the way, there's no pairing intended… seriously.) Nerdy points to the folks who can name the two RPG's I do not put a name to!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ sigh… I don't own Death Note… I tried, and failed. (pout)_

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Playtime

Part One, "RPG"

Raven Ehtar

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Matt sighed and ran a hand through his red hair, frustrated. He wasn't sure why he had thought this would be a good idea. There was every reason to think that it was a crack idea at best.

Mello was out for the day, something about a shopping trip for chocolate, or maybe it was a movie – Matt hadn't been paying attention – which left Matt pretty much on his own for the day. Normally that wouldn't even faze the redhead, he would just engross himself in one of his many, many videogames for the day. Except for the minor detail of all said games being confiscated by Roger as punishment for an incident involving a blow dryer the day before. That had been Mello's fault, but Matt was the one who got caught, of course. So, with no videogames to distract him, and Mello gone, Matt had wandered around the orphanage in search of entertainment. He could have spent the day studying… but no, screw that.

He'd been to the games room – a slightly masochistic move on his part – to check out the air hockey table and basket shoot. Those proved to be a little too mindless. He thought about going outside for real basketball or soccer, but it was raining, and no one else wanted to get soaked. A trip to the TV room was useless as well. Matt found himself flicking his thumbs at the people on the screen, trying to get them to turn and fight each other. He was sure that female news reporter could K.O. the weatherman.

Frustrated, Matt wandered to one of the quieter common rooms and flopped onto an empty sofa. The whole room appeared empty, in fact, until Matt noticed a very quiet clicking noise coming from behind the sofa. It turned out to be Near, Wammy's most likely candidate as successor to L, carefully stacking dice into a little fortress. With nothing better to do, Matt draped himself over the back of the couch, ankles hooked together and head resting on his hands, to watch the albino take his ivory creation higher and higher. If Near minded the attention, he never voiced it, never even showed that he noticed Matt observing him.

So Matt watched until Near finished his project; or rather, until he ran out of dice. He probably wouldn't have stopped, otherwise. Matt grunted when the last die was set in its place at the very top. "That's pretty good, Near."

The boy didn't jump when Matt finally spoke. Instead, he turned and looked at him with his usual blank expression, a hand up to his hair, twirling it. "Thank you," he'd replied quietly. The agate eyes had flicked from side to side quickly. "Mello does not accompany Matt today?"

Matt smiled. "Don't worry. The overly emotional chocoholic is out for the day. Your masterpiece is safe."

Near nodded, face still blank, but Matt knew he had to have been relieved. Mello was always happy to destroy what took Near hours to make. It seemed to make himself feel better, somehow. "Why does Matt not play his games?"

"Got curtailed yesterday," he replied with a grimace.

"The blow dryer?"

"That'd be the one."

Near tilted his head. It was probably the closest thing to an expression Matt had ever seen him have, but it didn't really count. Head tilting could just mean his neck hurt. "What does Matt plan to do with his day?"

Matt shifted on the back of the sofa. It wasn't the most comfortable place to lie in the world. "I dunno," he said. "I was just kinda wandering around."

Near nodded again and fell silent, still twirling his hair, and turned back to examine his miniature fortress. Matt looked at it too, since it was the most interesting thing in the room. Near was really good at his hobby, the whole thing was about two feet high, and same square, and somehow he'd managed to incorporate a couple of arches without sending the whole thing tumbling down. It wasn't just dice he used, either, the kid would use anything: matches, dominoes, cards, books… Matt had even seen him use cereal boxes once. Anything that could be gotten in quantity and were fairly uniform in size and shape was fair game for the little albino's games.

Games… God, Matt wanted his videogames back! Near wasn't bad company, but he needed to blow something up, or stomp a goomba, or something… He looked at Near again, who seemed to be counting the dice, or their spots. Did Near ever play games? He played by himself often enough, with his toys or his stacking, but did he ever play an actual game? Matt didn't think so.

If he still had access to his consoles, Matt would have been tempted to share with the reclusive boy and see how he did with something a little more interactive. His hand-to-eye coordination was obviously excellent, but he might have more trouble with anything that required quick reflexes… or that had a lot of gore. For some reason, he couldn't see Near as being the type to really get into something like _God of War_ or _Dead Rising_. The point was moot, though, since he didn't have his games.

Thinking about games, and watching Near begin to remodel his castle, was when Matt had his crack idea: "Hey, Near. You want to play a game?"

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So here they were, the redhead and the albino, sitting across from one another at a dusty table in one of the orphanage attics. It was the only place they had been able to find a sizable supply of old fashioned role-playing games and dice. Apparently it had been awhile since any of the children at Wammy's had really gotten into the classic RPG's. Matt wouldn't have bothered with them, except there was no alternative and they seemed a nice mid-step between his usual kind of game and Near's quieter play.

Except it was proving to be far more involved a project than Matt had thought it would be. He'd played plenty of RPG's before, on his consoles, where everything was calculated for you. What he had in front of him looked a lot more like work than play.

"Okay…" he said slowly, looking through the first book in the stack. It was one of the oldest, so he hoped that also meant it was one of the simplest. "Says here, the first step is to figure out the eight attributes of our characters. Those are I.Q., mental endurance, mental affinity, physical strength, physical prowess, physical endurance, physical beauty, and speed."

Near, who was playing which some character miniatures meant for a tabletop style game, looked up. "How are those determined?"

"Ah… with three d6's." He spilled out the bag that held the gaming dice onto the table and plucked out three of the six-sided ones. All the dice were black with white pips, which looked like they were painted in with glow-in-the-dark paint. Someone had certainly loved their RPG's at Wammy's at some time, anyway.

The younger boy picked up one of the other dies, "This does not look like a die," he said.

Matt looked and almost snorted. "That's a d4, Near. Four-sided die. They've all got a different number of sides, and depending on what you're rolling for, you roll different dice."

Near continued to stare at the tetrahedron as though it offended him, and then did the same with the d8's, d12's, and d20's. The d4 seemed to be giving him the most trouble, though; he kept coming back to it like it would magically gain more sides if he looked often enough. Matt smiled at his confusion. It was kind of cute the way he almost glared at them.

"Okay," Matt said, returning to the book. "Go ahead and roll for your I.Q… Oh, wait. The number of dice you use can change depending on your race. Guess we better pick that first." Why didn't the people who wrote this thing order their steps properly?

Near looked up again, holding a d20 in one hand and a d12 in the other. "Why should a person's skin color change one's attributes? That seems a very racist attitude for a game."

"Ah," Matt stumbled. "Maybe it would be more accurate to say 'species' than race. It's a fantasy game, you don't have to be a human."

"What other species are there?"

Matt flipped to the back of the book. They _really_ needed to arrange these things better. "Lessee… human – obviously – elf, dwarf, and gnome, those are all pretty standard. Then you got troglodytes, kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, ogres, and trolls, your basic baddies. Then there are the in-betweens, the changelings, wolfen, and coyles. They've all got pros and cons to them for play, so we might want to read them."

Near stared at the gamer, midway through trying to stack two of the oddly shaped dice. "Then after race has been decided, we roll for attributes?"

"Yep."

"Is that all?"

"Uh, no." He flipped back to the front of the book. "Then we decide on a character occupation—"

"Out of how many?"

Matt looked at the list and decided to summarize: "A lot."

The d12 was precariously balanced atop the d20. "And then?"

"Then… then we figure out our hit points, psionic powers, equipment, and character backgrounds."

The dice fell over as the d4 was settling into place. Apparently deciding it wasn't worth the effort, Near returned to twiddling his hair, hugging his raised knee closer to his chest with the other hand. "And all of this is merely preparation before the game starts?"

"Uhh… yeah…" Now that they were here, it really _did_ seem like a crack idea. He looked at Near, who just stared back, twirling his hair. Matt clucked his tongue. "You're absolutely right," he said, and tossed the book into a far corner, along with three other supporting books to the same game. Anything that took more than an hour to set up before you could even play was too much work to be considered fun.

He started shifting through the pile of games they had found. Let's see, _Rifts_, same problem as the first game, as well as _Call of Cthulhu_… He picked up a black box with red lettering. "Frag…?"

"Is it simpler?"

Matt turned the box over and read the description. "Looks like it… looks like a tabletop game, kind of. You run around trying to kill all the other players, and if you're killed you re-spawn somewhere and try to kill them back. First one with three kills wins."

Near looked blanker than usual. The hand stopped twirling. "Re-spawn?"

It wasn't that Near didn't understand the word; his tone suggested he found it distasteful. Matt winced a little, embarrassed. This was a lot like some of his computer games, and it did sound stupid when he thought about it. "Yeah… it's like a first person shooter… with dice. Um, let's skip this one."

The next box in the pile looked more promising. It looked more like a regular kind of RPG instead of instead of a FPS knock-off… except it was in German. Matt knew a little German, but not enough to read game instructions. Next in line was a deck of cards, each one with a cartoon drawn on instead of numbers and suits. The title on the box was _Munchkin_. He was reading the instructions – this one seemed like the best option so far – when Near spoke up.

"What about this one?"

Matt looked. Near was holding another book, this one mercifully thinner than the first one Matt picked, and was reading it with apparent interest. The redhead looked at the cover and laughed.

"Fairy Meat? You serious?"

Near raised his gaze from the book, eyes as solemn as ever. "The story seems interesting, the rules are simple, and our environment is used as the playing space."

Matt took the book from Near and looked it over. On the cover was a depiction of, yes, a fairy, sitting on a mushroom, antennae and wings all in place like a normal fairy. However, it was also eating the severed arm of another fairy. The inside of the manual also had illustrations to compliment the back-story and instructions: more fairies in war paint, fighting each other with very un-fairylike weapons, fighting over various body parts of other fairies, or eating said parts. It was like reading a cross between Brian Froud and _Dawn of the Dead_. He flipped to the back where character stats and abilities were listed. The weapons were… inventive. There was a section on the kinds of fairy you could play as well, ranging from mildly tweaked to seriously schizophrenic.

_Twinkle points?_ Matt thought, coming to the part on how to cast spells. _This game has cannibalism as the main goal and __twinkle__points__? Who the hell used to play this game?_

Near was still watching him when he put the book down. "You sure you want to play this one?"

Near shrugged. "It was Matt's idea that we play a game, I merely suggest one that offers the greatest probability of enjoyment for both of us."

Matt raised an eyebrow at the last part of that statement but didn't comment. It certainly looked quick and violent, which would hold Matt's interest, and from the looks of it, the room being played in really was used as the 'board', so Near would probably like setting that up. He shrugged as well. "Okay. You wanna get the room ready while I put the playing pieces together?"

The boys spent the rest of the day playing in the attic. Near ended up bringing a large assortment of his toys to use as terrain or – in some cases – victims for their fairy hordes. It was a little strange at first for Matt, who wasn't used to playing without a controller, or to seeing Near participating in anything more energetic than setting up a domino mosaic. If Matt didn't think it so unlikely, he might have even said Near was enjoying the game rather than just humoring him. He certainly got the hang of the game strategies quickly, which wasn't a surprise, and took out two of Matt's hunting parties before Matt managed to take one of his.

When it became too dark to see, the boys packed away the games back into their dusty storage boxes. "Hey Near," Matt said after shoving the last box back into place. "Thanks for hanging out with me today. It was fun."

Near got up from his place on the floor, arms loaded with toys and stuffed animals. "No thanks are necessary," he said blandly. "I found today's activities to be interesting, an agreeable change from the normal routine."

Matt grinned. That was probably as close as the albino ever got to saying, 'Thanks, I had fun too.' Eh, he'd take it. At least they hadn't each spent the day alone. "When I get my videogames back, you'll have to try them out, too. I've got a couple puzzle games you might like."

The albino was silent, thinking over the invitation carefully before nodding slowly. "Yes. I think that would be agreeable."

"Cool, it's a date."

Near blinked, but didn't respond. With all of the games put away, they made their way back downstairs. On the second floor Near turned off to put his toys back in his room, while Matt continued on to his own. Well, it had been a more interesting day than he thought it would be, videogames or not. He had never hung out with Near before, despite living in the same building with him for years. He was always so reclusive it was almost impossible to get a read off of him. Plus, Mello hated him, and it made it awkward to talk to someone your best friend detested. Well, he'd just make sure Mello remained in the dark about what he'd been doing today. It'd be better to just keep him ignorant than try and calm him down later.

When dinnertime came around and Matt took his usual place at the table in the mess hall, Mello had already gotten back and was waiting for him, looking very pleased with himself. He grinned at Matt as he sat down with his tray. "The sale was awesome, Matt! You should've come with."

Matt rolled his eyes behind his goggles. He remembered now, Mello had gone to one of the sweet shops in town that had marked down – among other things – chocolate. "Candy's not really my thing, Mel. You know that."

Mello snagged Matt's brownie off his tray in response. "Better than hanging around here all day with nothing to do."

"And whose fault was that?" Matt snapped with a scowl. He reached over and grabbed Mello's small bag of chips. This was their normal routine at mealtimes, they would 'trade' sweet foods for salty.

"Yours," Mello returned easily. "You got caught." He ignored the redhead's disgusted grunt. "So did the day suck with no games to take it up?"

Matt flicked his gaze over at Near, who sat by himself as always, picking at his food disinterestedly. "No," he said with a little smile. "Not really."

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_**A/N2:**__ Cute, no? There could be a continuation for this… later. After some other things. But let me know what you thought so far! (Did anybody catch the little Beyond Birthday reference?)_


	2. Videogames

_**AN:**__ Okay, some of you out there know that I was originally planning on having this chapter out by mid-October… yeah, epic fail on that one, guys, I'm sorry. My only excuses are writer's block and an increasing workload on the creative front, (see the Bulletin Board on my profile for some details.) I'm really sorry it's so late, everyone. T^T_

_To top it off, I'm not 100% happy with this chapter. I'm hoping that while I have missed 'funny' for this chapter - in my own opinion - that I've achieved the level of 'cute' at least. Enjoy, everybody!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I own nothing of __Death Note__ or PlayStation2, nor do I make any money from what I do with it… think I'm getting gypped, here, considering. ;D_

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Playtime

Part Two, "Videogames"

Raven Ehtar

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A pure white puzzle piece slid across the faces of its interlocked brothers, then clicked as it found the space where it fit perfectly. Almost half of the puzzle was complete, and the remaining pieces were all arranged in such a way that it suggested that the one putting it all together already knew exactly where each one was destined. Near paused in his play to consider which lone piece would join the others next, then began pushing the chosen one along its path with a single finger.

It had been four days since he had spent the day with Matt in the attic playing games, and he hadn't seen much of the other boy since then, save in passing. Near wasn't terribly surprised. Matt had only been bored that day, with neither his usual hobby nor his friend to preoccupy him, so he had sought out what entertainment he could, and found it in the form of Near. Now that Mello was back, and Matt's ban on videogames had been lifted, it was unlikely that Matt would initiate any interaction with him again.

Another piece clicked into place. To say that Near was disappointed would not be quite accurate, as that would suggest that he hadn't expected such a turn. He had expected it, but he still felt a little… dull, thinking about it.

The puzzle was completed in short order and promptly turned over, dumping it all onto the floor and breaking it apart. With the same sense of quiet detachment, Near began snapping it all back together again, row after row.

The room he was in was calm and out of the way, so unlikely that anyone would chance upon it in wandering through the halls. Most of the children of Wammy's were outside, in any case, enjoying a bout of fine weather. The chances of anyone finding him unless they were actively searching for him were remote. So when he heard the door open behind him and a set of feet step inside, Near assumed that he was the reason for their arrival. The door clunked shut, and the feet - unshod, from the sound - approached until whomever it was stood directly behind him.

Near didn't turn to look who it was. He already knew it was Mello. This was a game he liked to play with him, to try and rattle his nerves. Finding him in a secluded part of the house when there were very few other people around, and be quietly threatening… it was a fairly new tactic of Mello's, but one that he seemed to enjoy. It never seemed to bother him that it didn't work.

Near ignored him. Mello was patient, but Near was more so. All he had to do was wait until Mello became too frustrated or bored to stay and watch him solve his blank puzzle over and over.

On a particularly long pause between pieces, Near heard Mello shift behind him, and thought perhaps the other boy was giving up already.

There was suddenly a lot of weight added to Near's hunched frame, making him rock forward hard onto his toes almost losing his balance on one foot. His back and shoulders were abruptly warm, and there was the sound of breathing right beside his ear. Before Near could recover and turn to ask Mello what he was doing, an arm came past him from behind and picked up a puzzle piece. An arm in a black and red striped sleeve.

Near looked over, and discovered a face right beside his own, a crown of ragged red hair falling forward into his face, green eyes aimed forward and down and a pair of orange goggles across his forehead.

Matt.

There was a click, and Near blinked, looking down. Another piece of the puzzle was in place, the same piece that Near was intending to grab next. When he looked back over at Matt, older boy was smiling broadly at him.

"There you go," he said cheerfully. "Little stuck, huh?"

Near blinked again. He attempted to shift into a more comfortable position, but was hindered by Matt being draped across his shoulders like a highly contented cat. The gamer took no notice of Near's movements, and didn't remove his weight. "Matt is mistaken," Near said, masking his irritation. "I was not stuck, merely deciding which piece I should add next."

One of Matt's eyebrows came up slowly. "Oh yeah?" He looked down at the puzzle. "Looks like you follow a pretty strict pattern, so there's really only one option." Green eyes sparkled at him. "In that case, 'deciding' on a piece would mean that you couldn't remember which one went there, right?"

The younger boy stared at Matt for a minute, silent, before deciding to ignore his insinuation and continue on his puzzle. To his surprise, Matt also continued to 'help' him, reaching over his shoulder and starting on the opposite side of the board, working his way closer to Near. He wasn't nearly as quick as the albino, but considerably faster than Near would have thought. He wouldn't have thought a game with such low stimulus would interest him at all.

"Why does Matt help me?" he asked when Matt had completed one row and was halfway through his second.

Near felt the other boy shrug. "Dunno. Already here, so why not? Besides, the quicker you finish, the quicker we can go and play some videogames."

A piece veered ever so slightly before making it to its place. "Matt still intends to share his games?" he asked, he voice at least not betraying how startled he was.

"Yeah… why? You change your mind?"

Near shook his head. "I had not changed my mind; I simply thought that Matt would have more entertaining occupations."

Matt chuckled, ruffling Near's hair with his free hand. "More entertaining than introducing a newbie to the world of gaming? Not a chance. Or at least, not for a long while."

That sounded less than amusing from Near's perspective, but he didn't voice his opinion, nor did he complain of the treatment of his hair.

When the puzzle was complete Matt stood, and Near felt he could breathe a little easier without the other boy's weight on him. He straightened and stretched his back, working out the kinks developed by an odd position being made into a support beam. Matt was stretching as well, lanky frame going in all directions. "You ready to dive into virtual world?"

Near picked up the completed puzzle and stood, taking it back to its little storage cupboard and stacking it with the other items inside. "Matt realizes, of course," he said over his shoulder, "that should Mello become aware that his best friend is being friendly with his rival, he will be… less than pleased."

Matt shrugged, careless. "So what? He'll deal. It's not like he can tell me who to be friends with or anything."

Near raised an eyebrow at that, but Matt ignored it completely.

"C'mon. Let's head upstairs."

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While it was true that at the Wammy House there were several game systems meant for all of the children to share, Matt also had a few of his own stashed away in his room. Exactly how he had managed to gain that perk, no one was quite sure. Matt held that it was because he was third in line, and therefore due some special treatment. The other children thought it was because he had Mello as a friend, who could bully anyone into giving him what he wanted. And Roger just shook his head and said it was easier to supply one child with a few luxuries than deal with the drama that resulted when Matt butted heads with someone already using the consoles.

Regardless of the reason, Matt had a fairly impressive supply of systems and games. The redhead had to suppress a chuckle when Near walked in and looked at his wall of shelves stacked top to bottom with games. Near wasn't terribly expressive, and Matt was far from an expert on the boy, but there was a definite look of surprise as the shelves were surveyed. It was Matt's pride and joy, his games, and he enjoyed watching people when they were first exposed to the full brunt of his addiction.

Now was the problem of which game to play first, that was fun but not too much of a challenge to Near, who had never played before, so far as he knew. He'd thought at first that he'd just pull out a simple classic, like _Tetris_ or something similar, but now that Near was here and looking through his collection, it seemed like that would be a bit of an insult.

Still pondering the problem, Matt wandered over to look at the titles with Near. Anything that required a great deal of accuracy in 3-D rendering would probably be too much for a beginner, so the newest releases were out. Something that was slower paced or that was a 2-D format would be better. Maybe a side-scroller…

"Matt?"

Not taking his attention away from the games, Matt responded with a quiet, "Hmm?"

"These games do not seem to have any kind of organization at all. How does Matt find what he wants?"

"They're organized, just not alphabetically." Matt looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "Can you figure out what my system is?"

Near gave Matt a look that he was tempted to call provoked… but it was Near, so it was more likely to be a trick of the light. The albino turned back to the games, this time looking them over in a broad, all encompassing way rather than title by title. Matt smirked and let him work on the new puzzle, and tried to think of what to introduce Near to first.

It was always an interesting challenge picking out someone's first game. It was important to make sure that it was fun, slightly addictive, and a good match to the newbie's personality, so they were caught with the gaming bug and came back for more. All of Matt's games were fun, in their own ways, and a good portion of them were addictive, the question was: which one was a match to Near's personality? Matt immediately struck off all of the first person shooters and the gorier third person games, they just didn't seem like a good fit to the boy. Things like car racing or sports simulation didn't seem like something he would like, either. The only thing Matt could think that Near might like were puzzle games, or maybe strategy, where you built an army and maneuvered it about. So, puzzle, strategy… and maybe role-playing games. After all, he'd picked out and seemed to enjoy that psychotic game _Fairy Meat_; he might enjoy an old-fashioned dungeon crawler, as well.

Matt's planning was interrupted by an unfamiliar sound: Near huffing.

He looked over to find the smaller boy counting the cartridges and cases quickly, one hand running back and forth through the air as a guide. Once he completed the count, Matt watched as his fingers twitched back and forth, apparently working out some sort of mathematical theory in his head. Rather than try to figure out what Near was thinking, Matt chose to take no notice of him until he asked for help, (unlikely), or had a theory completed, (more likely).

So he had three likely types of games, now which one would capture and hold Near's interest? It couldn't be too simple, but at the same time it couldn't just be a challenge of his nonexistent gaming skills, or there would no point. Games were meant to be fun, not an exercise.

… Matt began to wonder why it was he hadn't picked out the games before fetching the albino boy away from his private play.

The sound of a case opening had Matt look over again. Near was now opening the games in Matt's collection, studying the inside for a moment, and then re-shelving them before repeating with the next in line. Curiosity got the better of the redhead as it became obvious that Near was prepared to go through every single one of his titles this way. "What are you doing, Near?"

The younger boy didn't so much as glance over at the question. "I am ascertaining as to whether or not some kind of serial number might be Matt's method of organization."

Matt tried to stifle a smirk, but failed. He should have guessed Near would exhaust all the logical choices first. Next he would probably try to apply their release dates to spot the pattern. "Any luck?"

Near slid the game he held back into place with a definite little thump, the only sign he was frustrated, and didn't move to pick out another. "No," he said. "Matt's system, if indeed he actually utilizes one, is obscure at best. These games are not organized according to alphabet, to publishers or creators, to date of release-"

(Huh, he'd already thought of that one.)

"-to series, to user ratings found on the boxes… Matt has not even gone so far as to separate them out according to their platforms. To all appearances, Matt's collection is a chaotic mess, and it is a wonder he can find anything he wants."

Matt laughed. "It _is_ organized, no it really is," he insisted at Near's incredulous stare. "It's just that you're thinking about it the wrong way. You're going by logic and patterns and standard ways of ordering, when I've used something completely different."

"Then what system is Matt using?"

The redhead paused for a second, and considered not telling Near, making him figure it out himself. The look in the younger boy's eye told him he might regret that later, though. In a subtle way, of course, since it was Near, but that just made it worse, to his mind. "From top to bottom," he said, "and left to right, they're in order according to how much I enjoy playing them."

The dead-eyed stare seemed to become even flatter, and drug on for quite some time. When it became obvious that no more explanation was forthcoming, Near spoke with a tone that said a lot for what he thought of Matt's answer. "That seems unnecessarily arbitrary."

Matt shrugged. "Maybe, but who ever said that it couldn't be? Besides, the idea of organizing _anything_ alphabetically around here is kinda overkill."

Near nodded a little. That, at least, was easier to understand.

Making an off-the-cuff - and slightly arbitrary - decision, Matt stopped trying to fish out the perfect game and just grabbed a couple of random titles, only paying enough attention to note the genre. Handing them to Near, he went to fire up the altar that was his entertainment system.

As the machines began warming up, he heard a box pop open and the gentle rustle of pages. Near must have gotten curious about the games he'd picked out. That was a good sign, at least.

Or so he thought.

"Matt?'

"Hmm?"

"Was Matt aware that these games are extremely hazardous to our health?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Another slight ruffle of pages. "'_Warning,_'" he read. "'_Read before using your PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. A very small percentage if individuals may experience epileptic seizures when exposed to certain light patterns or flashing lights. Exposure to certain patterns or backgrounds on a television screen or while playing videogames, including games played on the PlayStation2 console, may induce an epileptic seizure in these individuals. Certain conditions may induce previously undetected epileptic symptoms even in persons who have no history of prior seizures or epilepsy. If you, or anyone in your family, has an epileptic condition, consult your physician prior to playing. If you experience any of the following symptoms while playing a videogame - dizziness, altered vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of awareness, disorientation, any involuntary movement, or convulsions - IMMEDIATELY discontinue use and consult your physician before resuming play._'"

Matt was silent for a long moment. Was Near being serious? If it were anyone else then it wouldn't even be a question, but… "What are you trying to say, Near? Did you want to call the doctor to check if it's safe to play _Mario Brothers_?"

"… No," Near replied, sounding as though his answer had taken some serious thought. "I don't believe that it is necessary. Although I will keep the list of symptoms in mind, and ask that Matt does the same. Matt has had enough experience playing games to know if he would have a negative reaction, whereas I have not."

"True enough," Matt said, deciding to just go along with it. Easier than trying to argue with him. "Don't want you having a fit on my floor." The machines were done warming up and the game was in, Matt got up and handed a controller to Near. "Here."

The smaller boy took the offering and held it delicately with his fingers, as though he were afraid it would bite him. The look in his eye as he took in the arrangement of buttons, analog sticks and D-pad bordered on disbelief. He turned it over in his flimsy grip, studying it from all sides. "How exactly does one hold this… contraption?"

Matt pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Maybe he'd been right the first time he'd tried to introduce Near to games. Maybe this was just a crack idea.

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_**AN2:**__ Again, I'm not terribly pleased with this one, but for the very, __very__ vague outline I have for it, it takes us forward a little._

_Just as a side note, all of the games that I mention in any of the chapters - including chapter one - are in fact real, and I have either played them, watched others play them, or done a fair amount of research on them. (__Fairy__Meat__ is one I own, and it's… interesting.) Congrats to anyone who was able to spot the sideways BB reference in chapter one!_

_Given the number of projects I have at the moment, and the fact that __Playtime__ was originally meant as a one-shot only, updates for this fic will be sporadic at best. I have other projects that are a higher priority for me, so this one is delegated to, quite literally, play. ^^_

_**Thanks again for reading, I hope to see everyone again before too long!**_


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